I just switched from Synthroid 75 mcg to Compounded Armour 60 mg five days ago. (Thank you, Graves54, for the Armour info!). When I went into this new pharmacy (three towns away), I asked the head pharmacist if the Armour was the "reformulated" brand, and he explained that the pharmacy bought pure Armour, ground it up, and put it into gel capsules. He said that the problem with the Armour tablets was with the binders/fillers, and by using gel caps they've eliminated the problem.

Is anyone else taking Compounded Armour, and what has been your experience. Should I expect a "transition" period? Today I feel "off".

I decided to try Armour for three months, and if I don't feel a noticeable improvement, then I will switch back to Synthroid.

Your pharmacist is correct, and you seem confused about what it is you're taking. The compounded product isn't "Armour" at all. Armour is its own branded product, made by Forest Laboratories, comprised of porcine thyroid powder formulated with Forest's choice of binders and fillers. The compound you're taking is porcine thyroid powder mixed with a filler of the compounder's choice and (probably) no binder at all, which is why it's encapsulated instead of a formed tablet.
Think of it like comparing apples to apples... Red Delicious apples to Jonathan apples.

I've been taking a compounded thyroid product for about 6 weeks. It's working, whereas reformulated genuine Armour caused me to become hypo again after more than 5 years.

Your pharmacist is correct, and you seem confused about what it is you're taking. The compounded product isn't "Armour" at all. Armour is its own branded product, made by Forest Laboratories, comprised of porcine thyroid powder formulated with Forest's choice of binders and fillers. The compound you're taking is porcine thyroid powder mixed with a filler of the compounder's choice and (probably) no binder at all, which is why it's encapsulated instead of a formed tablet.
Think of it like comparing apples to apples... Red Delicious apples to Jonathan apples.

I've been taking a compounded thyroid product for about 6 weeks. It's working, whereas reformulated genuine Armour caused me to become hypo again after more than 5 years.

Thank you Midwest,

I was unsure about exactly what I was taking because my new bottle says "Thyroid USP (DESI)". When you say "it's working", do you mean you feel much better than on Synthroid? The reason I chose to try natural thyroid is because of hair loss and weight gain, otherwise, I did in fact feel better on Synthroid. At this point I feel as if it's a vanity thing.

The other reason is because I just wanted to try natural thyroid and see for myself what the difference is. Perhaps I may find out that it's more than just about the hair loss and weight gain, and that I might actually feel "better than I have in years", as the head pharmacist told me that other people have reported. I've decided to take this test myself. My insurance covers it, so I took this opportunity to find out the truth for me, and also for others contemplating switching from Synthroid to natural. I'm actually doing it, and I'll be sharing my experience good or bad.

I have to admit that sometimes I think that I'm overthinking this whole hypothyroid thing, and that I want the absolute "best" treatment. When it comes to ailments, I will always question current meds because I know the power of big pharm and that the most popular meds aren't always the best for you...we have to research and inform ourselves.

I just wanted to add, that someone had mentioned reading "Thyroid for Dummies", and in that very book it stated that "80% of people are useing Synthroid, and that natural thyroids were out of date and unnecessary". I didn't buy the book, so I don't know the exact quote, but that's what I remember reading.

Make sure you ask your pharmacist if they use any fillers when they compound it. Mine still uses cellulose. I switched from Synthroid to compounded dessicated thyroid about a month ago and have felt awful even with increases every two weeks.

Make sure you ask your pharmacist if they use any fillers when they compound it. Mine still uses cellulose. I switched from Synthroid to compounded dessicated thyroid about a month ago and have felt awful even with increases every two weeks.

Thank you Midwest,
... When you say "it's working", do you mean you feel much better than on Synthroid?

I took Synthroid for only about 3 months, right at the start of thyroid treatment about 7 years ago. It overmedicated me in even the smallest dose. The endo I was seeing told me to stop taking it and wait until I got "sick enough to tolerate" the Synthroid. Not an option. I then found an MD who would prescribe Armour and successfully took it until they reformulated it last spring, when I became hypo again. Then I switched to Nature-throid for 3 months until it was no longer available anywhere. Now I'm taking the compounded until NT becomes available again. (Compounded is three times the price of NT. I want to get back to NT ASAP.)

It's definitely possible to "overthink" it. I've seen people here on the board who were so obsessed with achieving perfect lab numbers that they had no time to critically assess whether they were feeling better or not. (And FWIW, I'm in agreement with you about Big Pharma's shenanigans.)

I recommend Thyroid for Dummies because of the clarity of information it provides to those who know little to nothing about thyroid disease. Just as in any thyroid book, there might be a few "facts" that I disagree with; but it should be noted that treatment of thyroid disease is more of an art than a science, with several different approaches. Any one of them may be more successful for any individual patient than the others are. I'm the perfect case in point; I couldn't take Synthroid at all, but natural thyroid worked just fine.